三、阅读理解(本题共20小题;第一节每小题2分,第二节每小题1分;满分35分)
第一节 请认真阅读下列短文,从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。
A
Firecrackers have a history of more than 2,000 years. It is said that people burnt bamboo joints(竹节) to make them blast(爆炸) to drive away the beast named Nian in ancient China. Now firecrackers are still set off during the Spring Festival to bring hope and good luck.
Kites have quite a long history. The earliest kites were made of wood. Now in China, the three most famous kites are the Beijing kite, the Tianjin kite and the Weifang kite. There is an international kite festival in Weifang every April.
During ancient times, the closest thing to watching a movie or TV was watching the shadow play(皮影戏). People control puppets behind the screen while singing with music to tell a story. The shadow play was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2006.
()26. Why do people still set off firecrackers during the Spring Festival?
A. To burn bamboo joints.
B. To drive away the beast.
C. To bring hope and good luck.
D. To play tricks on others.
()27. What were the earliest kites made of?
A. Bamboo.
B. Wood.
C. Paper.
D. Leather.
()28. What can we learn from the material?
A. Visitors can take part in the kite festival in Weifang every April.
B. Firecrackers have a history of more than 3,000 years.
C. The three things were all listed as China's national intangible cultural heritage.
D. People often watch the shadow play on TV.

B
[2026 南通市启东市期末]① Celebrating New Year happens in every country. But each country has its own way to celebrate New Year.
② The Chinese people celebrate New Year twice. One is on January 1st, and the other is in January or February. People have many activities to celebrate New Year, like watching the lion dance or having a family dinner.
③ People in Thailand celebrate it by pouring water on friends and visitors. They think this will bring much rain in the next growing season. Their New Year is in April. It is very hot at that time of the year in Thailand.
④ In Switzerland, people often go skiing to celebrate New Year. They sing in the ice and snow world. In parts of Switzerland, people celebrate it by dressing up to walk from farmhouse to farmhouse. They jump up and down to make the cow bells ring. They hope this will sweep away the bad luck of the old year.
⑤ People all over the world have a great time on New Year's Day. They often say "Happy New Year" to each other.
()29. People in Thailand pour water on friends and visitors to .
A. keep them cool
B. have a lot of fun
C. wash their hands
D. hope for much rain
()30. How do people in Switzerland celebrate New Year?
A. They make a beautiful farmhouse.
B. They dress up as all kinds of animals.
C. They sing in the ice and snow world.
D. They often go skating.
()31. How is the text organized?
A.
()32. The passage is mainly about .
A. different festivals in the world
B. New Year traditions in different countries
C. ways to celebrate different festivals
D. things to do on Chinese New Year's Day